


The Spark That Will Light the Fire

by ReyloInMyMind



Series: Balance [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A Lot of Plot, Cinflict, Complicated Relationships, Drama, F/M, Facing the enemy, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hate, Isolation, Loss, Love, Plot, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Power Dynamics, Resistance, Resolution, Reylo-Freeform, Star Wars Spoilers, The Dark Side - Freeform, The First Order, The Force, Who is the enemy?, aktion, balance, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-05-02 14:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14546670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloInMyMind/pseuds/ReyloInMyMind
Summary: "Where is Kylo?""Detained," Poe's answer was short and precise as a slap in the face.Rey waited for a few moments before she carefully asked: "May I see him?"Once again she got a sharp answer: "No."Rey wasn't surprised by his coldness, Kylo was still the enemy of Poe and everyone else in the Resistance Allied."He is to be executed."It felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lounges, "No... Poe, don't do this." Rey took a step towards him, "Please listen...""Kylo Ren is a prisoner of war!" Despite the harsh tone, the words had the faint echo of an apology. Poe wasn't happy with Kylo's fate, and that gave her a tiny bit of hope. Then Poe turned his back on her and headed for the door, "and so are you."This is part 4. of my Balance-series.It starts exactly where "Darkness Rises and Light to Meet It" stopped and continues the story.If you haven't read the first one: "The Space between Darkness & Light" or the two other sequels you are missing out on a lot of background story and I suggest you do that first.If you have already read the other parts in the series... THANK YOU! Please enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

Rey looked over the desolated landscape.

She recognized the place instantly as she had spent most of her life on that planet. The warm climate wrapped around her like a heavy cloak and her lungs was once again filled with the dry, anoxic dessert air. Rey was alone. Entirely alone. Not even a stealpeaker to keep her company under the scorching sun.

Was it a dream or a memory? She wasn't sure, but something about the landscape told her that this wasn't present day Jakku.

In the distance, the rough shapes of Nima outpost seemed as trashed as any other wreck on the planet. Though, slightly different than she remembered it. 

The voice of a little girl echoed in her head and she recognized her own words:  _If I just wait, they'll come back. Right?_

Her chest tightened.

"No." She whispered, acknowledging the truth, and closed her eyes, "they will never come back."

-

Rey was groggy and sore all over as she slowly came to.

The room had the clinical signature style of the medic department on the new Resistance base.

Though the room was small and stuffy. Like a place to store brooms and mops rather than patients. This time, there was no madras beneath her, no soft pillows or duvets. Only a gurney with a small neck rest and a blanket.

Someone had treated the wound on her shoulder and her throat was better, but still a bit sore.

How long had she been there?

Her memories seemed fussy and distant as she lifted herself from the gurney with a small grunt. She tried reaching out to Kylo, she could feel that he was close by, but he didn't respond. 

Then the door slid open and Poe walked in. Rey blinked, at his sudden appearance "how...?" she started, but was silenced by the tormented look in his eyes, which made chills go down her spine.

"Poe, what's wrong?" Rey asked instead, with an ominous feeling.

Poe rested his back against the wall across from her. Observing her for a second "We won." He announced with remorse.

Rey was baffled. This should be good news, he should be happy and they should be celebrating, yet he delivered it with the same amount of gloom as someone announcing the death of a dear family member.

"We caught Hux, the Supremacy is days away from a complete surrender and most of the First Order fleet is destroyed." Poe continued.

"But?" Rey voiced the word Poe had carefully avoided.

He sighed "at what cost? So many people have died, General Organa..."

Rey's heart started racing "Is she...?" She asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"No." Poe sank, "not yet." 

Rey nodded, sensing his need to change the subject. "Where is Kylo?"

"Detained," Poe's answer was short and precise as a slap in the face. Rey wasn't surprised by his coldness, Kylo was still an enemy of Poe and everyone else in the Resistance Allied.

"He is to be executed."

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lounges, "No... Poe, don't do this." Rey took a step towards him, "Please listen..."

"Kylo Ren is a prisoner of war!" Despite the harsh tone, the words had the faint echo of an apology. Poe wasn't happy with Kylo's fate, and that gave her a tiny bit of hope. Then Poe turned his back on her and headed for the door, "and so are you."

"May I see him?" Rey carefully asked.

"No." Once again his answer was sharp as a knife. 

"Please." The word was nothing but a desperate whisper. "Don't make me fight you too."

Poe spun around, somehow suddenly enraged "look at yourself, Rey!" He yelled.

Rey did, she was still wearing the black pants and the bloodstained black tunic, with the burned blaster hole on the left shoulder. The unmistakeable First Order boots stood on the floor next to her.

"We thought they'd captured you. Tortured you, killed you..." Rey saw the pain in his eyes, "but look at you! Fraternizing with the enemy. Protecting that murderer!" His hands were shaking with contained anger as he lifted his hand to the button beside the door. "The Council has spoken," his voice was low, and clearly stating the end of their conversation, "there is nothing I can do." 

Rey closed her eyes a moment, trying to collect herself. She heard the door slid open. Rey knew what she had to do and reached her hand out towards him.

"I'm sorry, Poe." She exhaled.

He didn't get to hear her words, as he had already fallen unconscious on the floor, knocked out by the Force.

Taking care of the guards on the other side of the door was just as easy, but it gave her the immediate attention of the many patients currently flooding the halls of the Medic department. Sitting, standing, lying wherever they could; all injured in some way and all starring at her as she stepped out of the room. They didn't seem hostile, just surprised that both guards were suddenly dropping to the floor, fast asleep.

There was so many of them and while they were looking at her. She felt them recognizing her and a small light began to flare in their eyes.

Hope.

Rey looked away, uncomfortable knowing that their injuries were all her fault.

She sent the location of the Supremacy to the Resistance Allied, she made the attack possible and she forced them into a battle they weren't ready for.

Swallowing hard she continued down the hall, looking straight ahead as she followed the feeling of Kylo. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone  
> Sorry for the delayed release of the second chapter, it was teasing me quite a bit and I ended up rewriting it all to better fit the rest of the story. The fact that I had exams didn't really help.  
> Enjoy :)

Kylo wasn't chained nor drugged.

Not this time.

He sat on the bed with his back against the wall and his face tilted back to look at the ceiling. He could feel her. His mother. She was unconscious, floating somewhere between life and death.

A boy's memories flashed before his eyes in an unidentifiable mess.

Kylo had a hard time thinking of anything else and even when Rey called him, he didn't have the focus to reply.

-

"Open the cell," Rey ordered, with her eyes fixed on Kylo.

"But..." the guard started.

"Open the cell!" Her words were heavy with the Force and the guard did as told. "Thank you. Go take a break." The guard followed her order as she stepped inside and closed the cell door behind her.

Half a second later she was in front of him.

His kiss was strangely distant, and he quickly broke it off, curled his arms around her waist and hid his face by her chest. There was no need for Rey to ask, she already knew what occupied his mind. She could feel the worry as a big whirlpool of thoughts on his end of their connection. He wasn't even trying to hide it from her.

Rey didn't know what to say to console him. Instead, she held him and let her fingers slight through his hair.

It would be best for them to leave the base as soon as possible. She had already broken into his cell, it would be easy to steal a freighter and just take off, but running would only enforce the widespread misperception of Kylo as a monster.

"Are you sure that it's a misperception?" Kylo asked with a tone fitting for a monster.

"Yes." Rey answered, unaffected by his gloom, "You never hurt me, not once."

"I did." Kylo countered, one of his hands gripped around the fabric of her tunic. "In the forest on Star Killer base. I showed you into a tree."

"And I sliced up your face, I think we are even."

"I nearly killed you, I wanted to kill you." Kylo admitted. Strangely set on proving himself a monster.

"But you never did." She said a bit harder than she had intended, him putting himself down like that annoyed her for some reason. "You saved me."

"I can't be Ben Solo anymore." His voice was slightly shaking. 

Rey closed her eyes, regretting her harsh tone. "I'm not asking you to." She let her hand glide over his broad shoulders and rested her chin on the top of his head. "I just want you, a name won't change who you are."

A strangled gasp escaped his lips as she spoke and his grip on her tightened.

"I don't want to lose you again," Rey whispered, this time it was her voice which was shaking. The empty feeling of his absence was still clear in her memory. All at once everything escalated inside of her and she couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Letting go of all the pain, sorrow, stress, anger and fear that had bottled up inside her since Kafia captured them on Lavadonna.

Her tears seemed to somehow awaken Kylo, who lifted his head to look at her. 

"I won't ever leave you." He assured her, placed his palm on her cheek and dried away a tear with his thumb.

"I lost myself." Rey confessed, "on the bridge, I thought I could..." her voice died as she tried to find the words to describe the experience. "It was; exciting." Goosebumps formed on her arms from remembering it, "I felt... consumed by this mad rush."

Rey shivered. 

She had never thought the pull to the Dark Side could be that powerful, or how easily her mind, her entire being, had changed under its influence.

Kylo didn't say anything, as he knew that what she needed wasn't his words. Instead, he listed patiently while she tried to make sense of what had happened. He knew exactly what she was talking about, only... he had never been able to stop himself.

Feeling empowered and desiring more, he had embraced the Dark Side and only ever regretted one action: Killing Han Solo.

That one action had shaken him. Just like Rey was shaken by her actions now.

When she stopped talking he looked into her eyes and let her feel his admiration, "you stopped."

"What?" Rey asked, drying away the tears from her cheeks.

"You didn't kill Hux. You stopped, I was never able to do that."

Rey rubbed her cheeks as his words settled in her mind. He was right, but... "I wanted to kill him." 

"I know," Kylo pushed a strain of hair away from her red face, "but you didn't. You resisted the desire, you chose to turn away from the Dark Side and then you did."

Rey took a deep breath, "I did." She confirmed as if it was only now she realized and recalled the moment where she had seen herself, "I enjoyed the killing, when I saw my own reflection... I wasn't me and it scared me."

"You are much stronger than I ever imagined." Kylo's deep voice was comforting. "I don't even think Master Joda would be able to come back from the Dark Side."

Rey crunched her brow. "Who is; Joda?"

Kylo chuckled, "I'll tell you sometime."

Rey smiled. Talking to Kylo, knowing that he understood what she had been through, made her feel less lonely.

If not for him...

Somehow Kafia popped into Rey's mind. What she had done to Kylo and the second battle in the throne room.

"Are you all right now?" She asked, studying his face and upper body, looking for something out of the ordinary, "whatever Kafia did to you, you completely disappeared. You were..."

Kylo's eyes darkened a bit. "I'm not sure, I feel fine, but my connection to the force... It's changed somehow and I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing." wrinkles appeared on his forehead as if he was trying to solve a complicated puzzle. "I've never heard of someone stealing the abilities of a force-user. It shouldn't be possible. yet that was exactly what Kafia did."

Unrest settled in Rey's gut at his words, what if others knew of this technique? What else would they be able to do?

"Can it be something she thought of herself?" Rey asked.

Kylo shook his head lightly. Kafia wasn't a stupid woman, but that kind of thinking was for geniuses and scientists, not warriors. His grip around Rey loosened as he sunk further into his own thoughts. Rey sat beside him on the bed to give him some space.

It didn't seem like the First Order knew much about the stones, other than the fact that it was able to weaken Kylo. Thir information originated from the Knights, but how did the Knights of Ren know of Armania? And who else knew?

The stones were a powerful weapon against a dark force-user, and even a Jedi would feel weakened by its presence.

"We need to find out where her knowledge came from." Kylo finally said.

Rey nodded, "you are right, but we are in quite a delicate situation right now: You are to be executed."

Kylo snickered, "they can try."

"We could escape, but..." Rey placed her hand on his. "I don't want to run anymore."

"Neither do I." He turned his hand and merged his fingers with hers. "But they will never accept me." though Kylo avoided her eyes, she still noticed the conflicting thoughts in his head.

His instinct told him to bust out of the base as fast as possible but leaving now would mean permanently isolating both himself and Rey from society.

He had no problem with that, he preferred it like way, but it would crush whatever small chance they had to try and change the galaxy. Something he had promised to help her do. One way or another.

And; he was reluctant to leave his mother. He wanted to see her, at least one last time.

"Let's at least try and talk to them. We can always run later." Rey sent him a small reassuring smile as she knew what he was thinking, "They won't be able to stop us."

Through his eyes were still worried, the side of his mouth showed a shadow of amusement. Rey rested her head on his shoulder as she finally felt completely safe, for the first time in what seemed like a million years.

"You never answered my question," Kylo said in a casual tone after a few minutes of pleasant silence.

"Question?" Rey asked, blinking the sleepiness away, as she had started to drift off with her head in his shoulder.

He starred at the wall on the other side of the cell, tense all over as he asked once again: "If we survive this, will you marry me?"

It felt like her heart made a somersault. After all that had happened, she had forgotten about his proposal.

Unable to stop herself from smiling, she nodded: "Yes."

Kylo's smile reached all the way to his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his embrace for a long, passionate kiss. 


	3. Chapter 3

Poe rubbed the side of his head. After Rey had knocked him out it felt like a hammer had bashed his brain multiple times and turned it into a finely grained puree. 

In the break area around him sat Finn, Rose and Chewbacca, all with similarly gloomy faces. Outside, people rushed on trying their best not to linger too long in the area. Though it was a public room with an open door, no one had any desire to disturb the sulking war heroes.

The Council knew that Rey had left the Medic department, it was inevitable as nearly a hundred people saw her as she walked through the base and down to the most isolated part of the prison.

Now, all the pleas and assurances they had made to the Council, trying to convince them that she was on their side and a valuable asset to the Resistance Allied, was in wain.

She had literally put herself in a cell, and the Council wouldn't hesitate to utilize the opportunity.

It was Rose who first broke the silence, slamming her flat hand at the table and glaring around at her surprised friends.

“We need to do something.” She stated.

Chewbacca let out a discouraged sound, shaking his head.

Poe just glared, and Finn looked away.

“Come on!” Rose urged them, “she is our friend, right?”

No one answered her and it didn’t stop her. “Have you already forgotten how she rescued the Resistance, the last drop of hope, at the Battle of Crait?”

“That doesn’t matter anymore!” Poe declared, throwing his arms in the air, “She has clearly demonstrated her loyalties and none of the Council members will ever trust her after this.”

“Aren’t you a Council member?” Rose asked.

“One Council member won’t make a difference.” Poe stood, went over to close the door and started walking around the room as he talked. “None of the remaining members know Rey by anything but reputation, to them she is nothing but another First Order sympathizer, an enemy to be dealt with. Her powers and the stories, only make her that much more of a threat to the Council.”

“How can she be dangerous?” Finn's forehead furrowed. “Rey would never hurt the Resistance.”

Chewbacca made an agreeing groan.

“Are you sure about that?” Poe finally stilled, crossing his arms in front of his chest and locked his eyes to Finn’s. “Are you sure that she wouldn’t do whatever it takes to rescue that…” Poe swallowed the last word, as his point was already made.

Finn broke eye contact, looking down with a sour face. Poe was right, Rey was convinced that she loved the bastard.

“She is to be executed.” Rose declared, “are you just gonna sit here and do nothing?”

“What can we do?” Finn bit at Rose.

“She chose this herself,” Poe added.

“You are her friends!” Rose jumped from her chair, her face was red with anger as she pointed a demanding finger at them. “Support her!” Then she stomped out of the room.

Chewbacca rose from the chair to cast a despondent look at Poe and then Finn before following Rose.

-

General Ultibal Savo of the First Order stood in a corner of the room, observing the ongoing debate on the future leadership of the known universe. 

Even though the council had demanded the biggest space on base, the eastern chow hall, it felt capered with the entire Council gathered in there.

A lot of the original leaders of the Resistance Allied had died in, what was now known as, the battle of Supremacy. Leaving the third and fourth in rank to decide the future. The air was thick with disagreement and Savo did his best not to scuff at the widespread incompetence and lack of resolve.

No one batted an eye at Savo’s presence. Which amused him quite a bit.

“Thinking of something funny?” A Twi’lek positioned herself next to Savo. 

“Nothing in particular.” He answered and stole a glance at her. Alegra Vetani had been a Lieutenant in the Republic army the last time he saw her. It was nearly ten years ago and from the look of her uniform, she was now a Commander.

“Do they ever stop arguing?” She whispered, ensuring that only Savo heard her. She frowned in disapproval as one of the five lead debaters in the center of the argument, started talking about taxation.

“Don't bet on it,” Savo answered as they shared a single knowing look. They both saw a big problem with the council: too many people eying their own interests before the interests of the people.

Mercenaries, the very last of the Republic officers, rich people providing their private forces and arsenals, smugglers, the few remaining senators and a few members from the original Resistance forces.

They needed a leader, someone with the authority to cut through and decide. Without such a person the debate would never end.

Up until now, there had only been one motion able to get a satisfying majority vote; the planned execution of the First Order prisoners.

In some twisted turn of fate, winning the war was the worst possible outcome for the Resistance Allied. 

Now, instead of fighting a common enemy, the remaining leaders were fighting amongst each other, trying to ensure themselves the best of the future.

Savo, who had grown tired of listening to the Council, was just about to ask Alegra if she wanted to go get something to eat, when a loud voice ended the arguments.

“I have something to say!”

The voice belonged to Poe Dameron. 

Everyone, including Savo, stared at him as if he had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

One of the main debaters blinked a couple of times, eying the pilot as he started rubbing one of his many, expensive rings.

“Captain Dameron.” He started coldly, “you are interrupting an important discussion.”

“Yeah?” Dameron asked, “It didn’t sound important to me.” He looked around at the crowd. “I speak for the release of Kylo Ren and Rey.”

“Not this nonsense again!” Said another debater. “The girl clearly betrayed us. They are dangerous, and you want us to let them go?”

Dameron answered with a leveled head and made a decent case, telling the council of the time Rey saved the Resistance on Crait and her message, which made the attack on the Supremacy possible.

Finally, he reminded the council that Kylo Ren hadn’t engaged in any combat in half a year. 

Savo hid a snicker behind his hand, Dameron was a fool if he thought the council would let such a powerful duo go free.

Alegra’s emerald eyes rested on Dameron as he spun around, gesturing to every single council-member while telling them, that they would all have been under First Order rule if not for Rey.

“He’s really giving it his best.” She commented, tilting her head slightly towards Savo.

“It doesn’t matter.” His eyes traveled from one disagreeing face to another, “those fools actually think Kylo Ren is their prisoner, that they can kill him.”

Alegra lifted a slim eyebrow, “you don’t think they can?”

Savo shook his head lightly, “the only reason those two are still in that cell, is because they decided to stay there. The girl literally walked in there by herself. Do you think she would do that if she wasn't capable of leaving?”

“Why would they stay?”

Savo made a small gesture to signal that he didn’t know. Whatever their reasons, those two were not to be taken lightly. In his years as a First Order officer, Savo had seen what Kylo Ren was capable of and the girl… Rey. 

He would never forget how she'd turned all her anger at Hux. 


	4. Chapter 4

Most of the people on the New Resistance base was asleep this early in the morning.

A lonely guard yawned and blinked repeatedly to freshen his tired eyes. There were still a few hours until sunrise. As one of the few, who stayed behind guarding the New Resistance base during the battle of Supremacy, he was now working around the clock to make sure the wounded would get some much-needed rest.

Apart from the fact that he was awfully tired, he quite enjoyed this time of the day.

It was quiet, and nobody was stressing around on base. 

The Guard yawned again, a big one this time, and while he stood there with his mouth wide open he faintly noticed a movement at the corner of his half-closed eye.

He wasn't given the time to wonder what had caused the movement, he bearly had time to finish his yawn. As if someone had pushed the off button in his brain, the guard instantly sank to the ground and effortlessly slipped into deep sleep.

Kylo didn't give the guard a second look. He determinedly continued down the halls, following the familiar feeling as it impatiently pulled him forward. He didn't care about the cameras or the possibility that someone might wake up and see him, in his head was only one goal. 

Haunted by memories, good and bad, he had only gotten a few hours of sleep. 

The worry was rooted in his chest and spreading, taking over his mind and controlling his movements. 

He just needed to see her. 

It had been so long and he remembered her features, but the feeling... he remembered it too well and with it came an unbearable amount of homesickness. 

His steps grew faster as he turned yet another corner and saw a sign announcing the entrance to the Medic department. He continued past the entrance as he knew that she wasn't down there. As he glanced down the hall, he saw several portable beds filling every available space, only leaving a narrow passage for the doctors, nurses, and medic-droids to get back and forth. 

The feeling led him to a door on the other side of the base, guarded by a single man. Kylo absentmindedly knocked out the guard as he approached.

It was a standard door with white panels and an old-fashion control-panel at the side. Kylo stared at it for quite some time. He noticed the gray color which slowly turned white at the top of the door and every tiny irregularity in the surface. The panel had quite a few scratches and testified to rather harsh treatment. Maybe someone had tried to pray it open.

His hand moved to open the door, but the movement was painfully slow. It never seemed to reach the button on the panel and then it suddenly did.

He blinked, surprised by the door which finally slid open. 

The first thing that caught his eye was a figure in a bright white dress, lying on her back with a transparent medic-capsule covering the upper half of her body. 

With his heart stuck in his throat he slowly walked forward and kneeled by her side. 

Her face was peaceful as if she was only sleeping, but Kylo could feel her weakness. Tired from a lifetime of war her body had given up and only the machine, in which she lay, was keeping her alive. Nearly twenty years had turned her hair gray and given her lines by the mouth and in the corners of her eyes. Still, somehow, she seemed more beautiful than he remembered.

The last time he saw her, was on his birthday; he'd forgotten which one. 

She arrived at the temple with a smile and a cake big enough for everyone to get a piece. It was his favorite, but he couldn't recall the flavor.  

It bothered him for some reason.  

They'd spent the day together, handing out cake to everyone in Master Luke's training temple. He showed her around and told her everything. It was one of the happiest days he could remember, and yet, it seemed fussy and unreliable in his mind.

Master Luke wasn't happy about her sudden visit.

"He isn't entitled to special treatment," Luke stated harshly, "a Jedi mustn't be bound by attachments!"

"I just wanted to see my son on his birthday." Leia bit back.

"I know, but what kind of example does that show for the others? I can't have relatives running around the temple every time it's somebody's birthday. They aren't even supposed to celebrate birthdays."

"You banned birthdays?" Leia asked, clearly upset by the thought.

"The Jedi Order are the protectors of the people, they are above the selfish need to celebrate their own birth."

A long pause followed. Ben held his breath afraid that they would discover him if he moved even a tiny bit.

"They are kids, Luke." Leia finally said.

"They are the next generation of Jedi." Luke countered. "There is no room for mistakes."

"Mistakes? You think me coming here is a mistake?"

"Yes, he is too attached to you."

"What is wrong with a boy wanting to see his mother?"

"Desire is dangerous! Have you already forgotten our farther? Do you want Ben to follow in his footsteps?"

"Ben is nothing like our father!"

"Attachment leads to fear and fear leads to the Dark Side. He has potential, but if I fail..."

The argument went on and on. Ben didn't understand much of it at the time, only that his uncle was angry at his mother.

In the end, Leia stormed out of the room, leaving her twin brother with four red finger-shaped marks on the cheek.

She took some time to say properly goodbye to Ben: she hugged him, kissed his forehead and told him that she loved him. Then she left, never to return.

Kylo made a small twitch as if to shake the bittersweet memory away. 

"Mom," his voice was barely a whisper, and he had to swallow hard before he could continue, "She said: Yes."

Only silence followed his words, but he was sure that she had heard him. 

Kylo didn't know how long he was kneeling by her side, it could have been a few minutes or several hours, but at some point, the sound of a creaking chair disturbed the silence in the room.

Taken by surprise, Kylo's hand instinctively flew to where his lightsaber would have been. Then he noticed the girl. She sat on a chair with her arms around her knees, staring at him with big frightened eyes from the other side of the medic-capsule.

The moment their eyes met sent a visible shiver of fear through the girl.

Kylo slowly rose from his kneeling position, swiftly turned and left with long rapid steps. 

-

Lieutenant Kaydel Connix sat frozen for several minutes after the door had closed behind Kylo Ren.

Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest by the mortal danger.

How was he here? He was supposed to be in a secure cell deep below. How could he move around on the base like this?

And why?

Why was he in general Organa's room?

Connix had fallen asleep in her chair the night before, as she had once again visited the General after finishing a days work. 

She didn't hear him enter. 

He was there when she opened her eyes. Still as a statue, gazing at the General's face.

It was a surreal sight, as Connix had only ever imagined him as a dark, masked nightmare. 

If she hadn't seen a glint of Kylo Ren's face as he was brought to his cell, she would never have recognized the man kneeling by the General's side.

"Ben..."

Connix blinked in astonishment as she heard the voice of the unconscious General for the first time in over a week. 

"Ben."


	5. Chapter 5

The loud voices could be heard far beyond the main entrance to the mess hall currently serving as a council room. A discussion concerning the move of the Council from the new Resistance base to a more fitting location on one of the Core Worlds had turned into a riot after the information on Kylo Ren's early morning walk was reported.

The words drowned in a sea of sounds, but it was easy to understand the mindset of the Council:

How was he allowed to leave his cell?

He could have killed every one of us in our sleep!

We need to act now!

General Savo slowly crossed his arms in front of his chest as he observed the distressed Council members. The loudest among them were also the richest, while the military members did their best seem professional.

It was no surprise that Kylo Ren could easily leave his cell if he wanted to, the surprising part was his destination: the sickbed of General Organa.

Why the hell would he be there of all places?

Connix described how he kneeled by the bed and left as soon as he discovered her presence.

Everyone in the First Order knew, that Kylo Ren had a special technique, that could crack even the strongest mind and make it give up any information involuntarily. Was that what he was doing?

Extracting information from the unconscious Organa?

It was a possibility.

But what information could she possibly have? Due to her coma, she knew nothing of the new plans of the Resistance Allied. Savo doubted that she knew the war was as good as over.

Savo's thoughts were interrupted by a blaster shot fired demanding everyone's attention. 

The rest of the voices were silenced as pebbles and stone dust fell from the ceiling and the shooter took a central position in the room.

Savo lifted a brow as he eyed the young Corporal. By the look of him, he'd never fired a blaster before, but he was clearly an opportunist, hoping to become the voice of the council. A very bold ambition.

"The only solution is to quickly get rid of this dangerous monster." The Corporal proclaimed and basked in the agreements of the other Council members. "I propose to move the execution and have it this afternoon. The sooner the better!"

A rushed promotion based on fear.

Nonetheless, it was what every council member was wishing for and as such it gathered great support.  Savo snickered. The Corporal had probably waited for the opportunity to pull that stunt. No doubt he was trying to advance himself and be a leader.

Sadly, he wouldn't succeed.

-

"It was an entirely new level of control. I didn't even need to think; my body made all the choices for me in the most natural way possible. I was confident in every move and felt an amazing satisfaction when..." Rey stopped, it felt wrong to say it.

Rey and Kylo sat across from each other on the floor in the cell. Contrary to the last cell they shared, this one was pleasantly lit and quite comfortable.

"Go on." Kylo encouraged in his usual flat tone.

Rey raised her head, looked straight into his eyes to show him her strength and continued: "when I heard the stormtroopers fall death behind me."

"And then you went for Hux?" Kylo asked.

Rey gave a small nod. "He was my target. I figured that if I cut the head of the snake, the body would die."

"It wasn't a bad plan." Kylo agreed, "the chaos you created on the bridge is what made victory possible for your friends. They should be thanking you."

"I don't want to be thanked for that."

"You are the only reason many of them are still alive." Kylo's voice was hard this time. "Attacking the Supremacy head on like that was a dumb and rash decision, had the bridge been fully operational it would have been the end of the rebels."

"It will never be the end of the rebels, wherever there is oppression there will be people standing up against it."

"You confuse order with oppression."

"What order?" Rey snapped, "Snoke's twisted, power-hungry rule, where he blew up whoever was against him and brainwashed children to be his loyal puppets?"

"No," If her words hit a sore spot, Kylo didn't show it.

"I'm sorry, Kylo." Rey sighted, "I didn't mean to say it like that."

Kylo nodded, he understood, but her words left a dulled echo between them.

"I don't know a lot about oppression," Rey started, "I spend most of my life on Jakku, constantly fighting for every bite and every drop of water, but I was free to go where ever I wanted to. It made me strong, and taught me how to handle myself."

"Indeed, it did." Kylo reached over, grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards him. Rey willingly followed his pull and shortly after she sat right in front of him. "My strong padawan."

Rey smiled, "I'm not your padawan."

"Yes, you are," Kylo stated and pulled her a bit further into a soft kiss.

She shook her head as she pulled out of the kiss and sat down beside him. "I don't know if I want to be a Jedi anymore." She confessed. "I don't know if I ever wanted to be a Jedi. It just happened."

"I know the feeling."

Rey held her hands up as if she was trying to grab something invisible and hold it to her chest, "Ever since I discovered the Force within me, I have been searching for some kind of explanation, a reason or a purpose."

"I can tell you about the midichlorians." Kylo offered.

Rey snickered, "No need, I read about them in one of the Sacred Jedi Texts. That's no help."

"The Sacred Texts; are they still on Lavadonna?"

Rey looked up at the thoughtful frown on Kylo's forehead. "I guess so." She answered.

Once again he was deep in his own thoughts, "I would like to have a look at them."

"you what?" Rey asked surprised by his sudden interest in, what he himself had described as, a dead religion.

"There might be something about the Amaniaston in there."

"Really?"   Rey rubbed the back of her nose and rested her back against the wall behind them. "Stealing and storing power doesn't seem like a Jedi-thing." 

"I think the texts were written in the early years of the Jedi, at that time they were at war with the Sith. It's not unlikely that a stone which weakens the dark force-users might be mentioned somewhere."

"I found nothing about it."

"But there were writing you couldn't read, right?"

"How did you know?"

"A lucky guess."

"Okay." Rey pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her shoulder against his. "I was planning on going back for them anyway."

Kylo opened his mouth to say something but got interrupted by the sound of boots in the corridor outside the cell.

They both looked up as the soldiers stopped by the cell door. 


	6. Chapter 6

They had agreed to try and talk with the leaders of the Resistance.

Therefore, Kylo let the guards chain his hands and feet without any resistance. It didn't stop the wary stares or the attack-like way the guards approached the task. They seemed convinced that they were capable of restraining him.

Afterward two men took a grip in each one of his arms, while five guards aimed their blasters at his back.

As they began to move out of the cell and down the corridor, Rey silently followed. The soldiers, who all had their attention occupied by the dangerous man towering in the center of the small procession, hardly noticed her and those who did quickly forgot about it again.

The Council room was nothing special, nothing more than an overly crowded room with no furniture whatsoever. The Council had gathered together as they waited, facing the door from which he entered with unified determination.

Kylo was placed in the middle of the half circle created by the Council. The soldiers stepped back a bit, and then all seven blasters were aimed at Kylo's back.

"Kylo Ren of the First Order, Jedi-killer, and Mas... Why is she here?" the speaker, a young man in a naval uniform, interrupted himself and gestured towards Rey, standing by the now closed door. "We only called for Kylo Ren. The Jedi has no business here!"

Before the guard could answer Rey placed herself next to Kylo and looked the speaker straight in the eye, he was no more than ten years older than her and way too confident.

"I would like to see you throw me out." She calmly stated.

The man's eyes narrowed and it looked like he was about to sneer at her, but he composed himself, "you will share his fate, traitor."

"I intend to," Rey answered, she was not intimidated by this apparent leader of the RA Council. This was not right, how could the Council rely on  _him_?

 _He is nothing but a jumpy asparagus._  She thought to herself and heard a tiny snort of laughter from Kylo.

"Master of the Knights of Ren. You stand accused of numerous war crimes," the man announced, as he did his best to ignore Rey's glare, "and for those crimes, we condemn you to death."

Rey didn't believe her own ears, they were not even going to have a proper trial?

What had happened to the principles of the Council? As she looked around at the many faces in the Council room, it was clear that everyone had made up their mind long before Kylo stepped into the Council room. She saw fear in their eyes as they looked at Kylo, and when they looked at her. 

 _Relax Rey,_ Kylo's voice whispered in her head,  _I didn't expect them to let me speak._

 _How can they just decide like that!_ Rey snared silently,  _how is this supposed to be better than the First Order?_

_It won't do any good if you lose your temper._

Rey glanced at  Kylo's clenched fists,  _the same goes for you._ Feeling his irritation with the situation somehow made her calm down.

 _I can control it._ He assured her.

The asparagus officer started listing Kylo's known crimes as they had their silent conversation. Rey did her best not to listen. She knew that Kylo had done unspeakable things, but he was slowly changing. The mere fact that he wasn't massacring the Council right then and there was proof of that.

 _There is something wrong with the Council._ Rey looked around once again,  _I don't see any familiar faces. Most of these people weren't even around when I was part of the Resistance._

_My guess would be that most of the old leaders either died or were greatly injured in the battle. Thiese are the second and third choices._

_But, Poe isn't here. I saw him the other day. He is alive and well._

_Does it matter? They already decided to kill us and we need to get out of here._

Rey and Kylo shared a single look, they both knew that it was pointless to try and speak to the Council under thiese circumstances. 

 _You are right._ Rey looked around one last time in search of a friendly face and found the most unexpected person possible looking straight at her and smiling.  _Kylo, what is General Savo doing here?_

Kylo followed her look and deep lines formed on his forehead.  _How do you know Savo?_

_He was the second in command to Hux, he escorted me from and to my room every day._

_I didn't take him for a double agent._ Kylo wondered to himself.

 _You think he was an agent for the RA?_ Rey measured the general with her eyes. He didn't seem like an RA-sympathizer.  The few sparse conversations she had with him onboard the Supremacy, had been constant disapproval of her and her connection to the Resistance.

 _Or the First Order._ Kylo answered.

"... death. The execution will be performed immediately."

"Now?" Rey outburst, as the obnoxious listing of crimes suddenly stopped and demanded their attention.

Officer glared at her, "bring them outside and shoot them!" he ordered.

The soldiers took a hold of each their arms and started dragging them out.

 _The lightsabers,_ Rey needlessly reminded Kylo, as the Council disappeared behind the big door to the Council room.

 _I know._ Kylo answered.

Rey glanced at the soldiers on each her side.  _Kylo, we need to do this without killing anyone._

_That is impossible._

_No, it's not._ Rey stubbornly retorted.  _Not for a truly skilled person._

Kylo grumbled for about half a minute before his answer echoed from his mind to hers:  _I'll try._

A single look between them. Now was as good a time as any.

The eyes of the soldiers widened with fear as they felt the muscles of Kylo's upper arms swell with tension. Seconds later he was free and skillfully knocked out the two in one strike.

Meanwhile, Rey went at her own captors, giving one an elbow to the face and the other a kick in the crotch. By the time she had knocked out one of them, Kylo had taken care of the other.

Kylo clinched his fist and using the Force he ripped the blasters from the hands of the remaining soldiers before they fell uncourteous to the ground.

Someone saw it all and a moment later the alarm went off and rotating beacons of orange light flared in the hallways.

 _Go get the lightsabers._ Kylo ordered, as he picked a blaster from the ground and turned to the incoming soldiers, which had been on standby just in case this would happen.

 _You really need to stop giving me orders._ Rey exclaimed as she ran in the opposite direction, heading for the weaponry where she had located their lightsabers the day before.

With the soldiers focusing on Kylo, no one paid special attention to Rey. She was just another civilian girl fleeing from the battle and it was easy to reach the armory in question. 

 _Another twenty is headed your way._ Rey informed Kylo as she watched the soldiers run past from the doorway to the armory, where she was busy hardwiring the door's control panel.

 _Just hurry up._ He answered.

 _I am._ She grunted, as a wire touched the wrong compartment and struck sparks in her hand.

"Ouch..." Rey took a step back from the aggressive wire and shook her hand to get rid of the electricity tingling in her fingertips. Glaring at the wire, she went at it again.

It only took her another minute of swearing and a concentrated assault on the panels inner structure to finally get the door opened.

Rey looked around inside the messy armory. Apparently, this was where they stored outdated or broken blasters together with some staffs and old-fashioned knives. 

The lightsabers weren't in there, she knew as soon as she stepped inside. Yet, she still tried calling her lightsaber multiple times, on the off chance that it might just be really well hidden. 

 _They are not here._ Rey informed Kylo with a sinking heart.

 _What?_ In the mist of the battle Kylo was too distracted to hear her the first time.

 _They are not here._ She repeated as she grabbed a staff and left the armory.  _We have to leave them._

 _What!_ Kylo's voice resounded in her head.  _No!_

 _We need to get to the hangar before they close it off!_ Rey hissed at his stubbornness.  _Or it will get a lot harder to leave._

_Kylo knew she was right and pointed the blaster at yet another soldier. Fine, go get the motors started. I'll catch up to you._

Blasters were never his thing and as he'd promised not to kill the soldiers, he needed to aim carefully before every shot, which gave him a great disadvantage against their increasing number.

He missed his lightsaber, felt naked without it, but there was no time. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody.   
> A short chapter for you this time, I'm drowning in work and have constant fights with my inner muse.   
> I will try to keep updating once every week, but can't make any promises. 
> 
> You are all so amazing! Thank you for reading!

Rey made a stop when she saw the soldiers in the hangar. They were already closing it down.

Kylo, where are you? She asked, hiding behind a transportation shuttle as she waited for the soldiers to walk on by.

I'll be there in twenty minutes. Kylo answered, with about fifty soldiers.

There are soldiers in the hangar too, but I'll try to make a diversion.

Kylo tugged on their connection; a sign that he had heard her but was too busy to answer in any other way.

Rey couldn't see much from her hiding place. The shuttle right in front of her was convenient but old and rusty, they wouldn't get far in that. They needed a fast ship, with space for two and a hyperdrive, but as far as she could see there were mostly starfighters in the hangar.

They could steal a couple of starfighters, but she preferred something more practical. A fighter had no living quarters, no food and no fresher. 

Voices echoed in the hanger. Somebody, who wasn't supposed to be there, was questioned by the soldiers. She sneaked a peek around the front screen of the shuttle but couldn't see the origin of the voices. 

While the soldiers were distracted, Rey slipped out in the big hall, tiptoeing from fighter to fighter while on the lookout for a suitable getaway ship.

"I don't care about your orders, we have an important mission and we need to get going!" A loud, familiar voice resounded in the big hangar, making Rey twirl around on the spot.

There was The Millennium Falcon and in front of it: Finn was arguing with a couple of soldiers.

Rey felt a big knot in her chest. The Resistance Allied wasn't her friends anymore; was he?

Finn suddenly looked over a soldier's shoulder, they locked eyes for a second and a small wrinkle at the corner of his eyes told her that he was glad to see her. He sent her a hesitant smile before he clenched his fist and punched one of the soldiers in the gut. The soldier champed together and sank to the floor as Finn took out the other one with a fist to the chin.

Rey stood shocked and witnessed it all, she only regained control over her feet as Finn waved her over. "Finn! What...?" Rey tried her best to keep her voice down as she approached, "now you are marked!"

"I guess I'll have to live with that." He answered with a shrug and a crooked smile, "I couldn't let them kill you."

"You knew?"

"Of course, I knew. We had a nice little escape plan to save you, but then you decided to ruin it all and escape on your own."

Rey had no words, she just hugged him.

Behind Finn a hangar port started to open, and a minute later Rose appeared from the control center.

"We need to get going." She announced. 

As if the Falcon had heard Rose, the motors started humming behind them. At the same time, they heard multiple blaster shots and yelling in the corridor Rey had entered from.

Rose had already entered the Falcon and Finn tugged at Rey's arm to get her to follow. "Come on."

Rey didn't move, her eyes were locked to the door she herself had entered from. He should appear at any moment now, she could feel him. "Kylo."

Finn let out an irritated outburst but didn't object. Instead, he took a blaster from one of the downed guards and started covering Kylo as he appeared from the doorway, followed by a swarm of resistance soldiers.

"Set the blaster on stun." 

"What? Why?" Finn asked.

"Just do it!" Rey grabbed a blaster herself and turned the button on the side. "Over here!" She yelled at Kylo.

You can't be serious! Kylo grumbled in her head as he saw the ship and who she was with.

No time!Rey answered. Get in!

"We're in!" Finn yelled as he closed the ramp and they immediately took off.


	8. Chapter 8

As the Supremacy was in no condition to attempt a jump into hyperspace, it was slowly moved by the regular engines.

Only a handful of trusted officers of the Resistance Allied were still onboard. Helped by a team of mechanical engineers they steered the gigantic vessel towards the edge of the unknown regions. There, the deserted vessel was meant to stay hidden until a government was formed, and the rightful authority could decide what to do with the former headquarters of the First Order.

Though most of the First Order valuables had been moved by the Resistance Allied after the battle of Supremacy, there were still expensive materials on the factory floor, and the First Order archives contained endless amounts of priceless information. Information, the Resistance Allied didn't want to fall into the wrong hands.

If the secrets of Starkiller leaked, a new superweapon could be ready within fifty years.

This one thought weighed on Hone's mind as he lay under a control unit on the bridge, trying to get the wires reconnected.

It was what gave him nightmares: Another superweapon.

Hone was one of five mechanical engineers onboard to keep the Supremacy moving until it reached its destination. He didn't remember the rule of the Empire, but He remembered the weeklong celebration of the empires fall. It was her earliest memory. On Hosnian Prime people were dancing in the streets. There were music and plenty of food and at night fireworks lit up the sky.

The remainder stung, and he turned his attention back to the wires.

Hosnian Prime was gone, together with the rest of the Hosnian system.

"Careful," Major Thanu said above him, "there is some blood to your right. It's dry, but... I mean, it's still pretty nasty."

"Year, I've seen it." Hone answered and moved his body a bit to the left, "what the hell happened up here?"

The Major shrugged, "no one knows. There are a lot of theories... personally, I think it was a sleeping spy going rogue."

"Sleeping spies?" Hone wasn't convinced, "if there was one of those on the Supremacy, then why was it so hard to find?"

"Maybe the spy couldn't contact us without blowing his cover."

"Maybe, but still..." Hone connected the last wire and checked that everything was connected correctly. "Try now," he said when he was satisfied. 

Major Thanu pushed a button and the control unite lit up. "It's working. Thanks!"

"Good, then I'll go back downstairs." Hone's head appeared from beneath the control unite as he got up and got a hold of his stuff. 

Major Thanu waved as Hone left the bridge.

He hated being up there. The entire floor had a stench of dried blood. The bodies were gone, but the blood remained on the walls and floors. 

The cleaning droids had gone into total lockdown after the battle of Supremacy and not one of the esteemed officers had thought to bring a mop on the mission. They had no choice but to accept it, they had their orders and needed to be on the bridge to perform them.

Luckily for Hone, he was an engineer. He was there to fix what was broken and most of the bridge was in good order. That couldn't be said about the rest of the ship. The battle had left its mark everywhere, especially on the engines which Hone and his team were working around the clock to keep operative.

The sweat was already shining on his forehead as he stepped from the elevator and walked down the passway to the engine control room.

That was the one good thing about the bridge: temperature control.

When going up there you got a breath of fresh air, even if it did taste like blood.

On the engine floors there was a constant damp heat, originating from the gigantic engines. Something had ruined the temperature control keeping the engines from overheating and now they were threatening to blow the entire ship.

Hone worked for almost an hour before he heard the alarm: Someone was attacking.

"Major? Are you there?" Hone asked over the intercom, "what is going on?"

No answer.

"Commander?" He asked, trying a different line. "is anyone there?"

Still no answer.

"Terry, do you know what is going on?" This time he was reaching out to one of the other engineers.

"I guess it's an attack of some sort." Terry answered, "But I can't get in contact with the bridge."

"Me either. I was up there an hour ago and everything seemed normal. Have you heard from the others?"

"Gari and Feulo. I was talking to Gari about the cylinders when the alarm went off, but they don't kno..." 

"Terry? What happened?"

Terry didn't answer.

Hone tried the other lines, but they were all silent.

Not bothering with the elevator Hone sprinted up the emergency staircase till he reached a floor he knew had windows. As he barged through the door and out on the hallway he hardly believed his eyes as an unmistakable battleship came into view.

He stood there in a couple of minutes, starring in disbelief, and then he suddenly spun around running down the staircase to the engines once again.

Anger boiled in his veins as he threw himself at the radio, sending a message to the Resistance Allied reporting what he had seen.

Then he went to the controls and methodically started to shut down every single safety measure he himself had installed to cool down the engines. There was no way in hell he was going to let them reclaim the Supremacy.

"This is Head-engineer Hone, I have turned off the temporary cooling-systems om all the engines of this vessel. In about fifteen minutes they are going into meltdown and then the fuel tanks will explode starting a chain reaction which will blow the Supremacy to atoms. If any of my people are still alive, you all know the nearest escape pods and I trust that you have enough time to get away. I hope you all understand why this is necessary. Godspeed, my comrades. May the Force be with you."

Sweat from the efforts of running up and down the stairs had already soaked his clothes and hair and as he spoke the temperature in the room was only increasing.

Hone wouldn't be able to climb up those stairs again. He could hardly stand and his sight was spotted by dehydration. Laying down on his back, his head cleared a bit and he couldn't help a small smile. The thought of how disappointing it would be to have the Supremacy blow up in their faces gave him a unique kind of joy.

Giving the enemy a little payback was a very satisfying way to leave the word.


	9. Chapter 9

The Falcon made loops, twists and turns to maneuver the heavy bombardment from the resistance forces. Rey, Kylo, and Finn were standing just behind the closed boarding ramp and had to grab whatever grabbable on the walls and ceiling to keep from tumbling around with the movements of the legendary freighter.

Then they heard the buzzing of the hyperdrive, the entire world escalated for a second and the freighter finally stabilized into hyperspace.

Kylo had a strong grip on a tube running by the ceiling over his head and a flat hand on the wall supporting his body. He had only been onboard the Falcon a handful of times, but it was still as wretched as he remembered it. He took a few deep berths to clear his mind and shut out the overwhelming feeling of Han Solo. Everything, even the tube he was currently crushing, was filled with unwanted memories.

They had escaped the base, but that didn't mean that they were out of danger. Kylo didn't trust the traitor and who knew who else was onboard. They might be Rey's friends, but they had no reason to help him. He was sure that the rescue was only meant to help Rey.

Then he felt it, the one reassuring thing, which, despite everything, made him glad he had boarded the freighter.

Rey was hugging the traitor and telling him how much she had missed him, but Kylo focused on only one thing: "Where is my lightsaber?" He grunted and followed the feeling of his weapon.

It was near, he was sure of it.

The traitor reacted immediately: he pulled himself away from Rey and tried to block the doorway. "You can't have it." He said, glaring up at Kylo's annoyed expression as if it would make a difference.

Kylo didn't care for the traitor and effortlessly pushed him aside.

"Rey, do something!" The traitor tried, but Rey didn't seem to hear him.

She could feel her own lightsaber and wanted it back just as much as Kylo wanted his. The Traitor would never understand.

Firmly ignoring the old Dejarik gameboard in the center of the lounge area Kylo's steps became impatient. His gaze flickered around like a hummingbird while searching for his weapon. As he finally lost his patience, he called the weapon to his hand with so much force that it nearly punched a hole in the wall on its way to him.

Kylo felt a small flicker of worry from Rey's mind, but all he could think about was the empowerment of holding his lightsaber once again.

Then, a single sound from behind sent ice spikes through his body. His heart suddenly began to beat faster and he realized that he, for the first time in ages, was terrified.

Irritated with himself - He was not going to fall apart just because of a big fuzzball! - Kylo straightened himself and slowly turned to face Chewie.

The Wookie's expression was unreadable, but Kylo was sure that he was no longer the loving uncle Chewie of his childhood. What if he attacked? Kylo's grip tightened around his lightsaber. Could he defend himself against Chewie? Did he even want to defend himself? After all the things he had done, Chewie was in his good right to tear his head off.

As the tension intensified, Kylo found it harder and harder to look into the Wookie's eyes. The memory of his father awoke again, the frozen image of Han Solo's body impaled by a red blade.

His red blade.

Stubbornness kept him from blinking or looking away, but it didn't stop the water gathering in his eyes.

They stood like that in what seemed like an eternity. Then Chewie's eyes softened a bit. He made a small sound, warning Kylo to behave as if he was a troublesome kid, and then the Wookie returned to the cockpit.

The silence lasted for another moment. Every muscle in Kylo's body was still tense, ready for battle, but as the other person didn't want to fight, Kylo was left in a weirdly deflated state of tensity with no outlet for his anger.

Kylo felt Rey's hand by his elbow. It was warm and reassuring as it moved down his arm and then merged her fingers with his. It somehow calmed him a bit to feel her support and he gave her hand a small squeeze as thanks.

Unfortunately, their moment together was cut short.

"Give me the lightsaber." The resistance pilot stepped forward and held a hand out, foolishly expecting Kylo to just give him the saber.

What was his name again?

Kylo couldn't remember, and it didn't matter. The only thing that did was to get off the Millennium Falcon and as far away from it as possible.

-

Rey felt Kylo's disgust as he looked at the hand Poe was holding out. She understood why Poe didn't want Kylo to have the saber, but it wouldn't make a difference: if Kylo decided to rip the freighter to pieces, he would, even without his lightsaber.

Finn was backing Poe, still with a blaster in his hands, and in the lounge area, Rose was fiddling with an old generator part while keeping an eye on them.

"What are you all doing here?" Rey asked, looking from one face to another.

"Rebelling," Rose answered.

Rey looked back at her, "what?"

"We are rebelling against the Resistance Allied," Rose explained.

Rey blinked in surprise and looked to Finn and Poe for confirmation. Both nodded. Kylo lifted a brow.

"Why?" Rey asked in total confusion.

"Because the council is rotten," Finn answered. "Ignoring those injured in the battle, arguing only to get the better deal for themselves and condemning an ally to death without proper trial; how is that better than The First Order? It is going to fall apart sooner or later, and we decided to skip ahead."

"But..." Rey took to her head as she processed it all, "now you're all outlaws; deserters; traitors. How could you betray the Resistance?"

Finn and Poe exchanged a look.

"We made a choice, Rey." Poe placed a hand on her shoulder and ignored the glare from Kylo. "We have fought for too long to let a bunch of vultures take power. We need a strong, just and visionary leader."

As he spoke, Rey saw something in his eyes which made chills run all the way down her spine. "No, Poe." She said, looking back at him with all her strength. "Not me! I don't want that kind of power."

"That's why you are perfect." Poe's voice was soft and reassuring, but Rey didn't fall for it.

"I don't care!" Her gaze hardened as she remembered how close she had been to the dark side. "If you force me I'll disappear like Luke did, and you will never see me again."

The disappointment was clear on his face, but he knew that they wouldn't be able to force her, even if they wanted to.

Instead, Poe returned to the subject of Kylo's lightsaber.

Kylo snarled at him to get lost, Poe was Rey's friend and that was the only thing keeping him alive at this point.

But Poe didn't back down, he had survived Kylo Ren's tourer once and wasn't afraid of another round.

"Poe." Rey put a hand on his shoulder, "Kylo won't hurt anyone." She felt a weave of disagreement from Kylo's mind but ignored it and focused on Poe instead. "Please Poe, trust me on this."

Poe was nighter convinced nor liking it, but if Leia had thought him anything, it was to choose your battles. He reluctantly backed down and then left for the cockpit.

Finn sat down next to Rose, with the blaster resting on his knees and a watchful eye on Kylo.

 _They want me to be their leader? _Rey hardly believed it.

 _I understand why._ Kylo's soft voice brushed against her consciousness.

 _I can't,_ Rey wrapped her arms around herself as they left the lounge area.  _You know why I can't. It's too dangerous._ Rey shook her head thinking of her friends.  _Rebelling against the Resistance! What kind of idiotic plan is this?!_

 _A pretty bad one,_  Kylo answered, _but you saw the council._   _Would you take orders from that bunch of third rack idiots?_

Rey shook her head. She wouldn't. 

As soon as they were out of sight, Kylo gently took her hand and pulled her into his arms.  _Let's just get away, far away from here._ He said, closing his eyes and burying his face by her hair.

Rey clearly felt how uncomfortable he was onboard the Millennium Falcon. Meeting Chewie had been a hundred times worse and he wanted to avoid the Wookie as much as possible.

 _We can't just disappear._ Rey reached up and buried her fingers in his hair.

 _Why not?_ He asked, though he already knew the answer.

 _Because we would go mad. Living all alone in some deserted region._   _We would kill each other within a month._ Rey could feel Kylo's smile, and she laughed a little before she kissed him. 


End file.
